I am pleased to refer to you as employees distinguished by a high level of professionalism and have valuable knowledge and skills to apply in the workplace. However, while analyzing communication in the office recently, I would like to note that the interaction in our team has become less effective and more stressful due to such unpleasant factors as gossip and false information. I do not have the slightest desire to get personal and point out the mistakes of specific colleagues. Nevertheless, in general, many might have noticed that the negativity and resentment that began to appear in the team affects the culture of our office negatively and creates a tense atmosphere. Therefore, I propose to pay attention to this problem and use possible resources to maintain a positive relationship in the team by avoiding interpersonal conflicts caused by gossip and false information.
Based on the assessment of academic findings on this issue, I have highlighted the most dangerous consequences of the above issues. As Pheko (2018) remarks, false information is a phenomenon that aims to socially undermine the authority of colleagues in a team and denigrate them both from a professional perspective and based on personal qualities. I want to note that every employee of the office, regardless of age, gender, and other demographic characteristics, has sufficient qualifications to perform the assigned tasks skillfully. Any other discussion concerning the personal aspects of colleagues’ lives seems inappropriate and cannot be considered objective. People who distort information about one another begin to work in an aggressive environment where effective interaction is unlikely due to constant suspicion and resentment. Therefore, I ask you to take this problem into account as an acute one.
Another accompanying problem is gossip, which we also have not managed to avoid. I do not intend to mention specific cases and facts related to this phenomenon in our office. I want to remark that, according to Pheko (2018), gossip in the work team, sooner or later, leads to bullying, mobbing behavior, and some colleagues’ desire to dominate over others. I doubt any of us would like to be the subject of intense discussions and gossip. The problem is aggravated by the fact that, in most cases, gossip is aggressive, which disrupts normal communication in the office and generates resentment among colleagues. To avoid disunity and help our team overcome the aforementioned challenges, I suggest paying attention to the ways of sharing information effectively.
I strongly recommend that you avoid discussing your colleagues’ personal lives because everyone has a right to privacy. In addition, I propose to make any interaction among employees, including both in-person and via e-mail, as transparent and open as possible. For instance, making a single e-mail address is a possible step to ensure safe online communication. Another tip is organizing regular off-site meetings, which is not only a tool for productive team-building. Getting to know one another better can keep some employees from the desire to find out information about colleagues through gossip and rumors. Finally, I propose to introduce responsibility for false information disseminated in the collective. The extra workload of overly curious workers may be an adequate instrument of punishment. I am sure that my proposals do not contradict the team’s interests and hope that everyone will understand the relevance of effective information sharing to maintain favorable interaction and avoid interpersonal conflicts.
Reference
Pheko, M. M. (2018). Rumors and gossip as tools of social undermining and social dominance in workplace bullying and mobbing practices: A closer look at perceived perpetrator motives. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28(4), 449-465. Web.